Senior News Line: Engage your brain with podcasts

Have you ever listened to a podcast? A podcast is a digital audio or video file that you can access from the internet. They’re often in a series that you can tune into one at a time, almost like radio on demand. They’re usually associated with a website where you can find out what’s available and a schedule for new ones.

You can listen or watch on your computer, phone or tablet, but you’ll need an app, or application, if you want to download and take it with you, unless your phone has one pre-installed.

One way to find entertaining podcasts is to plug one of your areas of interest into a web browser and add “podcast” to see what comes up. Or, as a place to start, look at AARP’s website at www.aarp.org/podcasts and see what it offers.

Right now, there are podcasts about various scams, protecting your finances and high prescription-drug prices, all worth a listen. Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions.

If you search the internet for podcasts, you’ll find vintage radio programs, celebrities, financial information, stories from history, news, brain stretchers, sports themes, stress reduction and so much more.

There must be hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there to choose from. Try a search for “podcasts for seniors” to see what surprises pop up.

Another way to keep your brain stretched is with online classes, called MOOCs, which stands for massive open online courses. There are thousands you can audit for free, attending remotely without ever leaving home. You don’t receive credit for audited classes.

Coursera at www.coursera.org is your go-to source for online learning. At this writing, it lists 1,782 free courses from 200 universities.

Or, see Edx at www.edx.org, co-founded by Harvard and MIT, for information on their 3,000 classes to audit for free.

For more listings, see MOOCs at www.mooc.org.